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Dendritic cells (DC) regulate NK cell functions, but the signals required for the DC-mediated NK cell activation, i.e., DC-activated NK cell (DAK) activity, remain poorly understood. Upon acute inflammation mimicked by LPS or TNF-alpha, DC undergo a maturation process allowing T and NK cell activation in vitro. Chronic inflammation is controlled in part by Th2 cytokines. In this study, we show that IL-4 selectively confers to DC NK but not T cell stimulatory capacity. IL-4 is mandatory for mouse bone marrow-derived DC grown in GM-CSF (DC(GM/IL-4)) to promote NK cell activation in the draining lymph nodes. IL-4-mediated DAK activity depends on the KARAP/DAP12-triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell 2 signaling pathway because: 1) gene targeting of the adaptor molecule KARAP/DAP12, a transmembrane polypeptide with an intracytoplasmic immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif, suppresses the DC(GM/IL-4) capacity to activate NK cells, and 2) IL-4-mediated DAK activity is significantly blocked by soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell 2 Fc molecules. These data outline a novel role for Th2 cytokines in the regulation of innate immune responses through triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cells.

Current immunization protocols in cancer patients involve CTL-defined tumor peptides. Mature dendritic cells (DC) are the most potent APCs for the priming of naive CD8(+) T cells, eventually leading to tumor eradication. Because DC can secrete MHC class I-bearing exosomes, we addressed whether exosomes pulsed with synthetic peptides could subserve the DC function consisting in MHC class I-restricted, peptide-specific CTL priming in vitro and in vivo. The priming of CTL restricted by HLA-A2 molecules and specific for melanoma peptides was performed: 1) using in vitro stimulations of total blood lymphocytes with autologous DC pulsed with GMP-manufactured autologous exosomes in a series of normal volunteers; 2) in HLA-A2 transgenic mice (HHD2) using exosomes harboring functional HLA-A2/Mart1 peptide complexes. In this study, we show that: 1). DC release abundant MHC class I/peptide complexes transferred within exosomes to other naive DC for efficient CD8(+) T cell priming in vitro; 2). exosomes require nature's adjuvants (mature DC) to efficiently promote the differentiation of melanoma-specific effector T lymphocytes producing IFN-gamma (Tc1) effector lymphocytes in HLA-A2 transgenic mice (HHD2). These data imply that exosomes might be a transfer mechanism of functional MHC class I/peptide complexes to DC for efficient CTL activation in vivo.

In the present work, to analyze the heterogeneity of the tumor-specific cytotoxic immune response, a large number of T cell clones were generated from the infiltrate of a tumor-proximal invaded lymph node, and two kinds of melanoma-specific CD8+ CTL clones were derived. The majority of T cell clones (about a hundred) are characterized by a specific lysis of the autologous tumor cell lines. Among 34 of the latter clones, HLA-A2 molecule and MART-1(27-35) peptide have been shown to play a predominant role in tumor recognition. However, no significant amplification at the tumor site was observed for 3 of these CTL. The other kind of tumor-specific CTL (1 oligoclonal and 2 clonal cell lines) did not lyse the autologous melanoma cell lines but lysed the "fresh" autologous tumor cells in a MHC class I-dependent manner. Functional analysis of the two different CTL clones have shown that they did not lyse NK targets, autologous peripheral monocytes, activated T cells, and transformed B cells or any of the few allogeneic cultured and uncultured melanoma cells we tested. TCR repertoire analysis has shown that one of these CTL clones was significantly detectable "in situ" among tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, while not detectable among PBMC. Such melanoma-specific lymphocytes, which could not have been picked out through conventional screening procedures using tumor cell lines, could potentially play a role in tumor rejection. These results suggest that the immune response analyzed toward melanoma cell lines does not totally reflect the in situ immune status.

We have analyzed the human gamma/delta T cell alloreactive response to class II HLA-DR molecules and attempted to compare this response with that mediated by the TCR-alpha/beta counterparts. Several gamma/delta CTL clones from a healthy individual were generated in mixed lymphocyte reactions against an EBV-transformed B cell line termed E418. Fine specificity and primary TCR structure of 10 representative clones (all CD4- CD8 +/-) were then determined. Functional studies, with the use of B cell lines homozygous for HLA-DR (DR1-10), indicated that all gamma/delta T cell clones specifically reacted with HLA-DR2 molecules. In addition, five clones were able to cross-react with subtypes of HLA-DR8. Extended panel target experiments, including lymphoblastoid cells expressing various HLA-DR2 subtypes, showed that the T cell clones displayed distinct fine specificities. Clones with broad (Dw2, Dw12, Dw21, Dw8.1, and Dw8.2) or in contrast, more restricted (DRB1*1501 or DRB1*1503) specificity were identified. Furthermore, amino acid substitutions at predicted peptide binding site position 30 and TCR-interacting position 67 of the DRB*1 beta-chain seemed to affect alloresponse of some T cell clones. With respect to TCR-gamma/delta structure, diversity in gene segment usage was observed, with the predominance of T cells using a V3-J gamma 2/V1-J delta 1+ receptor. A smaller fraction of the cells expressed TCR comprising V gamma 9 and V delta 1 regions. In contrast, the V delta 3 gene segment was used by a minority of the cells, and the V delta 2 was not expressed by any T cell clone. Together, the present data indicate that similarly to TCR-alpha/beta, human TCR-gamma/delta lymphocytes may recognize in a highly specific fashion a particular HLA-DR heterodimer. T cell clones cross-reacting with other HLA-DR molecules were also identified. Despite some degree of heterogeneity, V gene segment use by alloreactive clones seemed to be nonrandom. No obvious correlation between TCR gene use and HLA-DR alloreactivity could be identified. Moreover, our results suggest that similarly to TCR-alpha/beta cells, foreign MHC-bound peptides may contribute to TCR-gamma/delta alloreactive response.